


For What It's Worth, All Is Fine ( Don't You Worry About Me )

by MeAndKyun



Category: ATEEZ (Band)
Genre: Accidents happen when Yeosang is little, Age Regression/De-Aging, Blood, Dissociation, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Non-Sexual Age Play, Not beta read so please have mercy, Self-harm but not intended, and injury, caregiver!seonghwa, little!yeosang, mention of hospitals
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902697
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MeAndKyun/pseuds/MeAndKyun
Summary: So Yeosang is a little and he wants to play for a bit yet things quickly go wrong in more than one way and everyone is worried.
Relationships: Kang Yeosang & Park Seonghwa, Kang Yeosang/Park Seonghwa
Comments: 4
Kudos: 84





	For What It's Worth, All Is Fine ( Don't You Worry About Me )

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this for a different purpose but now it serves its own.
> 
> If you are interested in the tags and got curious then proceed with care.
> 
> I took a few hours to tweak it a bit and decided to post the final product before going back to work on my thesis and as I am writing this, the first rain of August is pouring outside. It's an annual thing for me to celebrate because this month is special for me so imagine how thrilling it is to listen to Wonho's first solo song while doing this. 
> 
> Song recommendation is Losing You by Wonho. 
> 
> Make sure to support his solo debut lovelies and enjoy this small work~~

Yeosang was brat mode on as soon as he woke up. He was cranky, whiny and too fidgety. He had changed from three pajama sets after bathing until the last one fitted well. He refused to sit on any surface that wasn't a lap, preferably Seonghwa's or Yunho's, so they've noted. He also kept choking up on thin air one second and then being unable to breath the next. San almost had a heart attack the first time it happened, because he was the first to have his lap occupied by Yeosang. They had to open all the windows in the house and turn on the fans so he wouldn't feel closed up and find it hard to breathe again.

"Something is not right." San said. Mingi, Wooyoung and Jongho who were watching alongside him as both Yunho and Seonghwa were trying to stop the overflow of tears after Hongjoong was pushed away a bit roughly for trying to ruffle the little's hair.

"Hyung seems to be very uncomfortable for some reason." Jongho said, the ever observant.

"In his own skin." Mingi added. "Think you know why?" He looked between the three for an answer. They all shook their heads.

"Something's off for him, I mean, disturbing him that he himself can't pinpoint." Wooyoung knew his best friend but only a little more than the rest. That extra knowledge didn't help him much when Yeosang was having an off day as this one because he wasn't that well familiarized with Little Yeosang, that was for the hyungs to take care of and he was behind in that field.

"What do you mean, hyung?" Wooyoung gazed at Jongho.

"He," Wooyoung started. "It's something I've noticed when he isn't little only." He took a look at his best friend that was crying less with the help of his hyungs. "Whenever he deems something unfit or not working, he becomes on edge. It's like a thing in him that tells him that there's something missing and keeps nagging until every occurrence disturbs him," he pointed with his chin at Hongjoong, "even a touch unwanted he responds to it by lashing out and that in itself frustrates him so, he panics, cries or lashes out some more until he cools off."

They all listened. The sole reason making them take Wooyoung's words as they were was how long he and Yeosang knew each other.

"So you're saying to wait it out?" Mingi asked.

Wooyoung shook his head before responding. "I don't know. He would go cool off on his own in private since he fears hurting others when in that state, but he's little now and he can't cope with it that way."

"You're right." San nodded. Yeosang was clinging to his members for dear life. "We can't let him go unsupervised anyways."

"I can't suggest anything, for anyone asking." Wooyoung added.

"I do," Jongho was weighing his options but it wouldn't hurt to try. "We distract him." They looked at him in confusion. "It can not work but we'll keep trying."

"Uh..okay.." San was puzzled by the suggestion that their youngest came up with. "How can we assist then?" Jongho was quiet for a moment.

"I believe something new would do. Hyung would be asking for permission to use it and it would be exciting to discover something different." He said happily and then rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, either that or he ignores it complet--"

"Still wouldn't hurt to try." Mingi was eager to try that idea, his enthusiasm evident in his smile.

"Just remember the rules, guys." San reminded them. Seonghwa would personally end them if they disobey the rules they've set for when Yeosang is little. "No dangerous games and/or objects. No running, cursing or lying." Yeosang seemed to remember everything he's told after regressing and a lie, they've learned, was the worst thing they could do. "And lastly, no candy for no reason unless after a meal and as a treat." They all nodded and went to action.

In two minutes, Jongho was in the living room where Yeosang was sitting with Seonghwa, the sounds of a kids show filling the apartment.  
"Yeosang," Seonghwa's voice showed exasperation, that coupled with the scolding about sucking his thumb instead of a pacifier made Yeosang sniffle and mumble words about Seonghwa being mad and scary that the eldest managed to hear.

"No, I'm not mad at you, Sangie." He lifted the blond's hand and pointed at his thumb that was wrinkly and red from chewing. "You're not supposed to suck on your fingers. How about you take your paci?" But of course he didn't take it. Yeosang had been refusing it and Seonghwa wasn't sure why. His nose would just scrunch in distaste while he shook his head every time Seonghwa brought it to his lips.

"Here," Jongho interjected after witnessing that exchange. "Let me try, hyung." Seonghwa took a moment to assess the situation, he nodded for Jongho to go with what he was trying to do.

The youngest of the group grinned and sat close to Yeosang. He was basically fused with Seonghwa, only his eyes moved to Jongho to see who came.

"Hey, baby. Do you want to see what I got for you?" Yeosang who was still clinging to Seonghwa, nodded slowly. "Ok, here." Jongho brought the paper bag he set on the coffee table to his lap and smiled warmly at Yeosang. 

"Come closer to see," he said casually. The little hesitated but let go of Seonghwa and scooted nearer to Jongho, gaze fixated on the bag before meeting his eyes to ask for permission which the youngest granted him with a smile and nod.

Jongho watched as Yeosang's delicate fingers wrapped around the bag, and brought it to his lap. He chanced a look inside confirming that it contained something. The sound of paper tearing filled the air. Seonghwa winced, it was too late to tell Yeosang that it wasn't the proper way to open a bag to tear through it. He wouldn't have listened regardless. Perhaps the excitement was making him disregard decency. He then dug one hand inside what was left of the shredded bag to retrieve a cutely decorated box about the size of his palm and shook it near his ear before inspecting it closely.

"It's a present for you that I got earlier this week." Jongho smiled at the little. "Open it to see the surprise inside."

The little's eyes lit up at the mention of a surprise and pried the box open. He paused once he took note of the colourful items inside. There were different coloured confetti-like paper on which sat a pastel green paci. Yeosang thumbed and poked the coloured paper and they gave off under his fingers. He knew the spongy texture from when he was making crafts with the hyungs. He couldn't remember the name but it was satisfying to the touch and it made him want to make new things with his art supplies that were in the drawer under the coffee table. He will have to ask one of his hyungs to help him cut the shapes he wants because he wasn't allowed to use scissors.

"Woah!" His eyes rounded cutely. "Spr-- uhh.." he trailed off pointing at the paci then up and directly at Seonghwa's eyes. "Twinkle twinkle, hyungie." He giggled. "Same same." He straddled Seonghwa's lap. Picking up the item from the box. He held it near Seonghwa's temple, moving it here and there to see it shine in the light. "Woah!" He let out again. "Pretty." 

Seonghwa smiled at him. "Let me see, baby." He brought Yeosang's hand closer so he could see for himself what had Yeosang so distracted. The paci was a nice pastel green and had a chain hooked to it and connecting it to a clip. Upon closer inspection, Seonghwa could see what the little meant. There was a silvery glitter on the plastic body of the paci and on the clip. That must have been what caught Yeosang's eye the most. It was endearing to watch him trying to explain it when he failed to find the name for it. Probably Seonghwa's makeup was so memorable to him that he kept comparing the glittery eyeshadow he would be wearing often to the decoration on his new paci.

"It really is pretty. Do you like it, Sangie?" He smiled at the enthusiastic answer from Yeosang.

"Sangie like a lot." He turned to Jongho with a wide smile before removing himself from Seonghwa's lap to occupy the maknae's. 

"Thank you, Jongie hyung. Sangie likes a lot." He repeated to Jongho in case he didn't hear him the first time. He blushed when the little kissed his cheek as he wasn't a big fan of such skinship, yet it was endearing to have him express his gratitude that way.

"I'm glad you do." Jongho smiled at the horror in Yeosang's eyes once he pulled from kissing his cheek. The confetti-like paper stripes that were ealier inside the box were now cascading from his shoulder and down the front of his shirt as the box sat empty in Yeosang's hand that was on Jongho's shoulder. Quite the mess.

"It's fine, baby." Jongho's fingers were brushing Yeosang's hair away from his eyes. "Let's put them back in the box one by one, ok?" The little nodded. He took a handful of the colourful stripes to dump them back in the box. They were squishy, alluringly so and he begun to clinch and unclinch his fist just to feel how they gave off under the pressure. There was something in his other hand but he let go of it in favor of using both hands to tear a few stripes, dig his nails in them and watch crescents form in the foamy paper, align them one on top of the other to squeeze them between his fingers and then let them regain their original thickness. In short, he got distracted and let Jongho take care of the small mess he'd made.

Seonghwa shook his head at the cuteness that the little was displaying. He got completely sidetracked from his 'mission' but if that was relaxing for him, then so be it.

Suddenly, Yeosang looked up at Jongho. An expectant look in his eyes as he brought Jongho's face up so he'd look at him. "Jongie hyung play with Sangie?" He slid from Jongho's lap to the carpet and opened a drawer to retrieve his art supplies. "Sangie wants bunny here." He drew a random shape on the paper he's brought out then looked up at Jongho with sad eyes and a pout. "But cut wif..wif.." he trailed off, looking at his hand making a cutting motion with his pointer and middle finger. He must mean scissors, Jongho concluded. He sat near the little on the carpet. "You can draw the bunny and I will cut it for you. How does that sound, baby?" Yeosang perked up. He clapped his hands excitedly. "Thank you, hyungie." He took a few markers out of the box and began to draw tiny paws and cute ears and tail for the pink bunny.

Seonghwa noticed the tongue poking from his mouth out of habit and got up to wash the new paci before placing it between Yeosang's lips. The little took no note of the action but hummed around the paci instead of refusing it like before. He continued to sit on the couch and watch as more and more drawings were filling the paper. 

Yeosang had a talent for drawing and it was endearing to watch him suckle on the glittery paci while his hand made cute animals expertly. He stood up after finishing a frog and ran out of the living room leaving a confused Jongho and Seonghwa to stare after him as the pitter patter of his socked feet got further away.

Before they could follow him, "Yeosang, no!" Came from somewhere in the house not long after he left. It was Hongjoong.

The two moved quickly to see what was the cause of the mortified shout from the leader.

There was a loud thud then a whimper. Seonghwa was sure that it couldn't be good.

"God, Yeosang. Are you ok?"

Just as the eldest of the group rounded the corner and entered their leader's studio. He was met with a scene from a horror movie making him freeze in place.

"Oh God!" Hongjoong was kneeling down, his shaky hand grabbed the handle of the scissors that Yeosang was gripping as his other one tried to carefully remove the sanguinolent fingers from around the blades. The rug that Yeosang seemed to have tripped on was beginning to soak up the blood dripping from his hand. From the way Yeosang was still laying on the floor as he knelt down, Jongho could see that all the shock from tripping was received by his right hand that he used to hold the scissors and the blades slashed the skin all across his palm until the tip dug into his wrist and stopped there. He moved past a frozen Seonghwa and out of the studio to fetch the first aid kit but thought against it and grabbed two hand towels instead and made his way back to the room.

"Seonghwa hyung." He pulled at his sleeve and made him kneel down. One look at him and Jongho could see that he was shocked, but they didn't have time for that. "Now, hyung focus on putting pressure on the wound." He secured Seonghwa's hand around Yeosang's. "Like this, ok?" Seonghwa nodded.

"Ok." Jongho turned to Hongjoong who was putting the scissors on his desk near the open pouch where he usually kept his stuff for reforming. "Hongjoong hyung?" He stepped closer to him. 

"Hmm?" He looked up from his shaky hands.

"Hyung, you go clean your hands and I'll drive to the emergency room. Yeosang needs stitches." There was fog still clouding his eyes but Hongjoong nodded.

"Right. I would have done it myself but..Thank you, Jongho." He gave him a weak smile but a smile still. He glanced back at Seonghwa and Yeosang on the floor and something took over him in an instant. He strode back to them and stopped a foot away. "Seonghwa, please. Take him to the car. We have to go to the hospital."

"Here. I'll help." Seonghwa was still very much confused but with the help of Jongho, he stood up and Yeosang. The latter was not crying, only whimpering when Jongho picked him up bridal style. The eldest was aware that he needed to put pressure on the wound as he walked next to Jongho to the parking lot. He pulled Yeosang closer to him once they were in the backseat of the car and both Jongho and Hongjoong took the front ones.

"It hurts." Yeosang who was silent the whole time finally spoke. He moved his hand from Seonghwa's grip and cradled it closer to his chest. Without looking up, he whispered an apology to no one in particular. Maybe to all of them.

Seonghwa snapped out of his daze when he registered that.

Was Yeosang apologizing to them for being hurt?

He was silent this whole time because he knew he was at fault from the start. He left the living room without telling any of his caregivers where he was going. Didn't ask for permission from Hongjoong if he could use his belongings but sneaked in and used the fact that he wasn't paying attention to him and took something that he shouldn't even hold when little only to end up tripping and the rest was history. 

It was too much to think about in a headspace so he had but to be big again. Being big meant he couldn't cry no matter how much it hurt. Doing that could get him in even more trouble for all he knew. His hyungs and Jongho were mad at him enough for causing trouble, he couldn't cry. He shouldn't.

"Baby, why did you move so far away?"

_No. Stay big._

He glanced up from his lap to see the distance he's put between himself and Seonghwa. He had backed up against the door and made himself small by curling into a ball. An even bigger mess was on his shirt and sleeves now that he let the towel slip from his grasp, he took no note of it all.

"Sangie, baby, give me your hand."

_My hand?_

His head hurt a lot.

"Bunny, please." Seonghwa begged. "Look at me, angel." He didn't move any further or closer to Yeosang, he was itching to close the distance but that wasn't an option. Yeosang had to be the one coming to him and it was his job to coax him nearer.

Yeosang, who was staring past Seonghwa and at a random spot above his shoulder, looked at him. He looked too far gone in his head.

"Keep your eyes on me as you listen to what I will tell you." Yeosang kept looking at him with a blank expression. "Sangie, I want to hold you but you have to tell me if I'm not allowed to." Seonghwa opened his arms for him as an invitation. To accept or to refuse the offer was up to him.

It would be nice to be in those arms. It would be even nicer to sit on Seonghwa's lap, it was comfortable. His embrace was comforting. He wanted that warmth to surround him. It was freezing on his own.

"Hug… Hwa?" He tilted his head, gaze neither fixated on Seonghwa's face nor beyond it, it was merely in his general direction which was enough for the eldest to know that he remembered to keep looking at him even if he was completely out of it.

"Yes. Only if you want to Sangie." Yeosang nodded. "Come here, sweet love." The younger scooted closer, using both hands to pull himself up and plop down on Seonghwa's lap and straddle his hips much like they had been sitting all afternoon. 

Hongjoong who had been watching the whole exchange from the passenger seat winced. He let out a curse under his breath. There was no way for him to understand the dynamics between the two in the backseat or how Seonghwa managed to stop Yeosang from further mutilating his already bleeding hand. It was even harder to understand how it could be a thing but it was obvious for Hongjoong that Yeosang was neither aware of his nails digging into his cut skin nor could he register the pain that stemmed from it no matter how excruciating it must have been. His confirmation came in the form of Yeosang's both hands supporting his weight. He just couldn't watch anymore.

Seonghwa took Yeosang's left arm and laced it around his torso so the younger could ground himself while he worked on his other hand, wrapping it tightly in a clean hand towel and keeping it in his hold. "We're almost there, baby. You did so well." He kissed Yeosang's forehead and took a shuddering breath in then slowly out. His hand began rubbing soothing circles on the blond's back so he couldn't but notice him trembling. "Sangie," said boy hummed. "What is it, angel?"

"C-cold, hyungie.." He buried his face in Seonghwa's neck, nosing at his pulse point and trying to further close the distance between their bodies and leave no space, not even air.

"Seonghwa." He looked up at Hongjoong to see him holding up a jacket. "Try putting this around him. I'll open the door for you. We're here." Seonghwa took in their surroundings. They were already parked outside the hospital. Both Jongho and Hongjoong exited the car and helped the two of them out and into the building. Once they were inside, Hongjoong took off towards the reception desk and soon got back with a nurse who ushered them towards an examination room. Seonghwa stayed with Yeosang as they waited for the doctor to start his work while their leader and youngest split up, one doing the paperwork while the other called their manager and the other members to inform them of the reason they had to leave in a haste.

"No, San hyung. Wait in the dorm until we're back." Jongho sighed. "Please, I've said this five times already." 

Why was no one listening to him?

"But, Jongho. We want to make sure you guys are alright. And we need to see if Yeosang--" He tuned Yunho's voice out once the doctor stepped out of the room.

"Hyung, I have to go now. Just stay put and we'll update you soon. Bye." He hung up and stepped closer to the doctor. He bowed down before asking if it was ok to see Yeosang.

"I made sure that there was no harm done to the nerves before stitching the wounds. Your friend will be fine, kid." The doctor gave him a warm smile. "Ah, and I explained the rest to your other friend so there's no need to worry as long as you follow my instructions." He patted Jongho's back before moving past him to listen to a nurse who began explaining something to him. Jongho thanked him again and walked towards the room that his hyungs were in. Hongjoong was probably still busy with their manager. He knocked gently before sliding the door open and stepping into the room. It was pristine and had bits of white and maroon all over. His gaze landed on Seonghwa. He was kneeling before the single bed in the room, brushing Yeosang's hair with his fingers carefully slow. His voice gentle as he whispered to him.

"You can take a rest. We'll be home when you wake up." Yeosang was murmuring something he didn't quite catch, yet Seonghwa seemed to have heard it. "I won't leave your side." He hooked their pinkies together. "I promise." He leaned forward to press a kiss on the blond's forehead, his eyes fluttered shut and he seemed to have instantly surrendered to the sleep that's been weighing his eyelids down. Seonghwa chose then to turn to Jongho and offered him a smile.

"Hey, hyung." He said lowly and stopped next to the eldest. "How did it go?"  
Seonghwa looked down at his hand that was linked to Yeosang's left one, the other sat limp on his stomach, covered in gauze and bandaged. Any sign of blood was completely removed as Yeosang was changed into clean clothes. Bless Hongjoong and his attentiveness. Seonghwa himself had a black hoodie on, it wasn't possible to pinpoint any drop of crimson, not unless he put it in the washing machine and the water turned red.

"Overall well. It's nothing serious, the doctor had said. It only needs time to heal properly." He brought their linked hands to his lips and kissed the porcelain skin of Yeosang's. "It won't even leave a scar." Seonghwa was smiling again.

Jongho nodded. That's good, he thought to himself, more than good.

"How is he doing now?" Jongho's hand found Seonghwa's hair, fingers threaded through his raven locks making him hum.

"Exhausted, Jongho. He had a long day." He let his eyes close, savoring the feeling of delicate fingers on his scalp massaging and tossing his hair this way and that. "The sedative will help him sleep for now without feeling any pain." He met Jongho's gaze. "Can you check on Hongjoong to see if we can go home?" The youngest nodded.

"I'll be back with him, hyung." Seonghwa hummed and turned back to Yeosang. The door slid open and then closed behind him as Jongho left.

* ¤ * ¤ * ¤ *

There was a chorus of sighs of relief, gasps and even a whispered curse that Hongjoong caught on but he let it slide. The members that weren't with them on their emergency trip to the hospital were waiting for them by the doorstep.

He stepped out of his shoes and put the car keys back to their usual place in the tray by the shoe rack. The drive back home wasn't tiring per se, he was exhausted beforehand and having to drive them back himself from the hospital only made his head thump worse. He groaned. He needs coffee immediately else he'll pass out from exhaustion.

Seonghwa was beside him removing Yeosang's shoes as he slept in their youngest's arms. He smiled at Jongho the best way he could and it earned him a nod in understanding. 

"I'll lay him in your bed, hyung." Seonghwa thanked him and turned to answer the questions that the others were very obviously dying to ask seeing as they were still standing right where he last saw them after entering the dorm.

"So," he started. A mere glance at their faces showed how nervous and worried they were. "I'm sure Jongho had explained what happened and why we had to leave so urgently." They nodded but kept silent nevertheless. It was surprising. The four of them were, without a debate, the most talkative ones and having them simply wait for him to continue talking was a first. He went on. "Yeosang had a pair of scissors from Hongjoong's pouch and tried to run but tripped and ended up with a cut cross his palm that needed stitching." There was a sharp intake of air. "It's not deep, just too large to heal on its own." He tried to reassure them. "The doctor said to not let him use his right hand until it's scared nicely so the wound won't open." 

"Was he in pain?"

Seonghwa and Hongjoong exchanged glances. Yunho who was patting Wooyoung's back noticed how their leader shuddered.

"He's going to be fine, Woo. They gave him some painkillers but once those wear off, it will hurt again because his body will be trying to heal itself."

"We'll have to help him on the first days because it will be harder. He was blaming himself for not being careful enough earlier in the car. I'm not sure, he could refuse to regress because he managed to pull himself from his headspace thinking we were angry at him and will refuse to look after him since he misbehaved as a little." Hongjoong shook his head.

"But that's just wrong, hyung. Why would he think that?" Yunho was staring at Hongjoong in disbelief.

"No one said anything, Yunho-ya. He just did and he.." Hongjoong went back to looking at Seonghwa and he was shuddering again. "I don't know what that was, Hwa."

"Can we maybe move to the living room?" Mingi spoke after being silent the whole time. He could see that it was serious and not suitable to be discussed by the entrance to their dorm. The others only then caught up on what he meant. They nodded in agreement. One by one filtering into the living room and taking a seat. Jongho joined not soon after but remained by the threshold in case Yeosang woke up and needed someone.

Hongjoong was trying to find the right words to explain to the rest of the members what had happened in the car. He was supposed to be the leader of their group. To keep them safe. To look after them. To know what to do. But in reality, he was at a loss of words and equally lost trying to make sense of what he came to witness when he least expected. He couldn't understand what it was that he saw. Seonghwa looked scared but he took care of things like a champ and stopped them from getting worse. Jongho was their youngest but he was hurrying around the place and arranging things when he couldn't even register what had happened in his presence. 

He was such an idiot. He was a shitty leader.

Nothing made sense to him but he needed to have things explained to catch up on what he failed to notice in all of those days he wasn't around his members and left them to look after each other while he drifted further and further from the matters he was supposed to be the first to know about.

"Hyung," San's voice drove him out of his haze. He gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze and took his hand in his. "We're all shaken up because of the recent events but it seems we have a few things to discuss amongst us." He looked around the room to see varying degrees of hurt and puzzlement and worry. Yes, they needed to talk about the things at hand.

He nodded and gave San's hand a squeeze. He's got this.

"I'm sure we're all here wishing none of this had happened to Yeosang and more than one person is probably blaming themselves but I hate to tell you that it was inevitable. It happened too quickly and as much as we'd like to think we could have stopped it, truth is, no one was prepared for how things turned out."

Seonghwa bit his lip. He took to staring down at his hands. The coffee table still had Yeosang's drawings on it just as they left them.

He should have ran after him even when his limbs were aching. 

None of it would have happened if he followed him quickly enough.

He shook his head. 

Yeosang wasn't a prisoner. He usually went around the house when little but he never so much as stumbled. He never slipped even if he was clumsy when big. He never had his foot stuck in a rug. It was all too new and no one saw it coming. Just like Hongjoong said, no one could have stopped it from happening the way it did.

"He knows the rules and so does all of us. We were all here but he still got hurt. If this tells us anything, it's to never expect nothing to happen. We just have to be more careful than before." There were several nods. Wooyoung was sniffling but he still nodded. "Like I said earlier. The next few days are going to be hard and we need to help him with things so he doesn't use his injured hand and let it heal." They all seemed to agree and have no problem with that.

"Hongjoong already said not to expect him to drop. Although it's possible that he does since he can't handle pain when little but we all know him when he isn't little." Seonghwa started. Reminding everyone of how Yeosang never complained about being hurt even if he was. They didn't know how he does it but they knew it was to not make them worry about him. Little Yeosang was a different story. He was more open and honest about what bothers him. It was easier to know what he needed but if he chose to stay big. They will have to try other things to make sure he was alright.

"There's also something I need to tell you that I'm sure Hongjoong noticed today." Hongjoong felt his stomach drop. He wasn't ready to hear about it but he needed to make the extra effort to still listen to their oldest member and what he had to say.

"I just mentioned that Yeosang handles pain differently when he isn't little and we all remember the incident of him breaking his fingers and not informing us until the concert was over." He glanced around the room, trying to see any shift of posture that told him someone knew what he meant. And he found the answer in the way both Wooyoung stiffened and Jongho's brows knitted. "What Hongjoong referred to earlier is what happened on our way to the emergency room." He ran a hand through his hair. He was hating how everyone was growing more and more tense the longer it took him to phrase the problem and lay it out for them to see. They needed to know. They deserved to if they were going to be looking after Yeosang. It wasn't his job exclusively. They were all friends who look after each other and they needed to be aware of what to keep an eye out on.

"Yeosang said it hurt when I was putting pressure on his hand and took it back only to start picking at his skin where it was open. He wasn't aware of what he was doing and it's like he couldn't feel any of it so I had to stop him before it got worse." He paused and shook his head. "I've never seen anything like that. It was the first time I saw him do it but I've had my doubts." He turned his attention to Wooyoung. "Is there anything that you know, Woo? Anything at all."

Wooyoung frowned. He didn't expect to be addressed with such a question.

"Not much," he started. "Last time we were doing a vlive together, he said something about eating pain or so. I can't remember clearly because I didn't take it seriously and laughed it off since it didn't make sense for me. Not until now." He shrugged. "I wish I knew more but I don't."

Seonghwa nodded. "That's fine, Woo. I just wanted to address it because we were concerned ever since it happened. There's no saying it will again, though."

Silence filled the room as no one spoke. Just taking in the new information.

"I think we could use some rest. Come on guys, it's late." Hongjoong patted San's knee. He was quiet throughout the whole exchange and Hongjoong was beginning to get worried. He and Wooyoung were the closest to Yeosang and Hongjoong could only imagine how much he was scared for his best friend after hearing everything that he'd been through that day. "If anything happens, we just have to be ready and keep doing our best because Yeosang needs us ,ow more than ever."

They were aware of the things that could cause a potential harm and they were all ready to be there for their friend through and through. Even with them feeling bad with the turn of events, they were willing to try harder with a stronger resolution powered by the need to keep him safe at all costs.

Everyone nodded in agreement and started to stand up. Seonghwa went straight to their room to check on Yeosang. Jongho followed him to see if they needed anything. Yunho and Mingi offered to stay with Wooyoung for the night but he declined and went to his and Yeosang's room to try and get some sleep. As Hongjoong slumped back on the couch, he noticed that San hadn't moved from his side. Instead, the younger curled up against him and leaned closer.

"What's wrong, Sannie?" He ran his hand through the brown locks on the younger's head.

"Can I stay with you, hyung?" His voice was so small. Hongjoong felt his heart break at how much he was affected by the recent events. He wasn't speaking as loudly and vividly as he usually would. "Seonghwa hyung is worried about Yeosang who is hurt and Wooyoung is sad. Everyone else is tired." He turned his head to rest his chin on Hongjoong's chest. He was blinking slowly, a sad pout on his lips. "You are too. I want to stay with you, hyung."

Hongjoong hummed. "What about you, Sannie? Are you sad too?" He blinked at him then shook his head. "I don't know what I am." He buried his face in the crook of Hongjoong's neck. "I just want things to go back to normal." The leader patted his hair and hugged him closer.

"It's hard now but we'll be alright. We have each other so it's going to be easier granted we stick together. Don't you worry."

Deep down, San knew he could count on his members. He trusted them more than anything. They will get through this too.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was enjoyable.
> 
> Have a good day / evening / night !
> 
> Stay safe and enjoy your days.


End file.
